EyeToy: Play

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EyeToy: Play
Developer(s)London Studio
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
Director(s)Jamie MacDonald
Producer(s)Ron Festejo
Programmer(s)Pete Marshall
Artist(s)
  • Masami Kochi
  • Andrea Falcone
SeriesEyeToy
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
Release
  • EU: July 4, 2003
  • NA: November 4, 2003
  • JP: February 11, 2004
Genre(s)Party
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

EyeToy: Play is a minigame compilation video game for the PlayStation 2, released in 2003.[1] It was the first game to make use of the PlayStation 2's video camera accessory, EyeToy. The game was initially packaged with the EyeToy when the accessory was first released.[2]

Gameplay[edit]

EyeToy: Play features twelve mini-games to choose from.[3] This game, and all other EyeToy titles, are played by moving one's body. The motion is detected by the USB camera. The software recognizes pixel changes in the video image and compares the proximity of the change to other game objects to play the game.[2] Users who get a high score get to take a photo to tease other players.

Games[edit]

  • Beat Freak: A rhythm action game where the player must touch moving discs as they cross speakers.
  • Wishi Washi: Players must move their body to clean a sequence of soapy windows, set to the song When I'm Cleaning Windows by George Formby
  • Soccer Craze: A keepie-uppie style game where the player must use their head to keep a ball from falling while avoiding enemies.
  • Boxing Chump: A boxing game where the player must defeat a robotic monkey opponent.
  • Kung Foo: A Whac-A-Mole style game where the player must defend themselves from attacking ninjas.
  • UFO Juggler: A game where players must spin UFOs at safe speeds while defeating attacking enemy spaceships.
  • Slap Stream: A Whac-A-Mole style game where players must hit enemy mice and rats while avoiding friendly rabbits.
  • Plate Spinner: Players must spin up to four plates to earn as many points as possible.
  • Disco Stars: A rhythm action game where players must copy a dancer and hit icons on the beat to earn points.
  • Ghost Elimination: A game where the player must defend a graveyard from ghosts and bats.
  • Mirror Time: A Whac-A-Mole style game, where the player must hit green symbols and avoid red ones, with the added twist of the screen occasionally mirroring or reversing their movements.
  • Rocket Rumble: A Fantavision-style game where the player must highlight rockets of similar colours and then detonate them with a plunger.

Development and release[edit]

EyeToy: Play was developed by Sony Computer Entertainment's London Studio under the direction of Jamie MacDonald, with Ron Festejo acting as producer. Craig Kerrison and Pete Marshall were the game's respective lead designer and programmer, while Masami Kochi and Andrea Falcone served as the lead artists. The voices for the game's characters were provided by Burt Kwouk, Ben Fairman, Cornell John, and Amy Shindler.[4]

Reception[edit]

Eye Toy: Play received a "Double Platinum" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[5] indicating sales of at least 600,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[6] In October 2003, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announced one million copies of EyeToy: Play had been sold in Europe.[7] By December 2003, Sony reported that number had increased to two million copies in the same region.[8] In 2004, Sony reported that worldwide sales of EyeToy: Play were over four million units,[9] making it overall the 18th best-selling PlayStation 2 game.

Critical reception[edit]

The game received "generally favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[10] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of one nine, one six, one seven, and one six, for a total of 28 out of 40.[13] Tim Tracy of GameSpot described it as a "solid choice" for those "who have little or no interest in video games".[16] Douglass Perry of IGN described all the minigames as "simple, instantly graspable, and fun for a single player", although highlighted that "none of [them] are deep in any way."[19] Kristan Reed for Eurogamer felt EyeToy: Play was "tremendous fun for a quick mess around if you've got a few mates around" but playing alone "feels a bit pointless."[12]

Awards[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ Robischon, Noah (13 November 2003). "Smile, Gamers: You're in the Picture". The New York Times (published 2003-11-13). pp. G1. ISSN 0362-4331. OCLC 1645522. Archived from the original on 2018-04-17. Retrieved 2009-06-10.
  2. ^ a b Kim, Tom (2008-11-06). "In-Depth: Eye To Eye - The History Of EyeToy". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 2017-08-23. Retrieved 2008-11-15.
  3. ^ Coburn 2003, pp. 14–39.
  4. ^ Coburn 2003, pp. 40–41.
  5. ^ "ELSPA Sales Awards: Double Platinum". Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Archived from the original on May 20, 2009.
  6. ^ Caoili, Eric (November 26, 2008). "ELSPA: Wii Fit, Mario Kart Reach Diamond Status In UK". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on September 18, 2017.
  7. ^ Calvert, Justin (October 28, 2003). "EyeToy: Play sells a million". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 27, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  8. ^ Calvert, Justin (December 17, 2003). "European EyeToy shipments exceed 2 million". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 27, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  9. ^ "EyeToy™: AntiGrav Press Release". Sony Computer Entertainment. 2004. Archived from the original on June 21, 2006. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "EyeToy: Play for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on October 30, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  11. ^ Edge staff (August 2003). "EyeToy: Play". Edge. No. 126.
  12. ^ a b Reed, Kristan (June 25, 2003). "EyeToy: Play". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  13. ^ a b "EyeToy: Play". Famitsu. Vol. 792. February 20, 2004.
  14. ^ Mason, Lisa (October 2003). "EyeToy: Play". Game Informer. No. 126. p. 123. Archived from the original on January 24, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  15. ^ Silverman, Ben (November 2003). "EyeToy [Play] Review". Game Revolution. Archived from the original on October 12, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  16. ^ a b Tracy, Tim (November 4, 2003). "EyeToy: Play Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  17. ^ Leeper, Justin (December 6, 2003). "GameSpy: EyeToy: Play". GameSpy. Archived from the original on April 13, 2010. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  18. ^ Tha Wiz (November 15, 2003). "EyeToy [Play] - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  19. ^ a b Perry, Douglass C. (November 4, 2003). "IGN EyeToy: Play Review". IGN. Archived from the original on August 22, 2020.
  20. ^ OPM staff (November 2003). "EyeToy: Play". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. p. 146. Archived from the original on December 9, 2003. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  21. ^ Saltzman, Marc (December 11, 2003). "Expand games with music, video add-ons". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on December 24, 2003. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  22. ^ "Game Critics Awards 2003 Winners". Game Critics Awards. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  23. ^ Parker, Sam. "E3 Game Critics Awards announced". GameSpot. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  24. ^ "Japanese Media Arts Festival Award Winning Works Entertainment Division: EyeToy: Play". Japan Media Arts Festival. Archived from the original on June 30, 2009. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  25. ^ "BAFTA: Games in 2004". BAFTA. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  26. ^ "Interactive Achievement Awards 2004". Giant Bomb. Archived from the original on 20 October 2022. Retrieved 18 May 2023.

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]